Work continues on the Moreton Bay Cycleway

Work is continuing on the Moreton Bay Cycleway, with the local council starting work on the next phase of the Gateway North Bikeway project.

What's happening?

The upgrades will add a key component to the Moreton Bay Cycleway, improving conditions and accessibility to the local network for pedestrians and cyclists alike.

The project involves building a 138 metre pedestrian and cycle bridge over Shulz Canal, adjacent to the existing but narrow bridge servicing Nudgee Road. Looped access ramps will provide access to three sides of Nudgee Road, and a pedestrian island will service the fourth.

The upgrades also include a proposed path to connect to the as-yet non-existent Brisbane Airport cycle network, but it's conceivable this will eventually let you cycle to DFO via Airport Drive.

Some Opinion

This is a welcome addition to the Moreton Bay Cycleway, as the existing Nudgee Road bridge is difficult to traverse, and dangerous to ride on-road.

While this won't necessarily aid commuters who may be reluctant to take such a large detour (including a dismount to cross the pedestrian crossing when heading south), the access from the Moreton Bay Cycleway is certainly a very welcome change from the existing gravelled bush trek.

Unfortunately Nudgee Road remains a cycling black hole. The immediate road to the south of this infrastructure has no bike lanes and leads straight into a massive intersection with inadequate cycle infrastructure. Further south the road shoulder is frequently full of parked cars, and perforated by gardens under the guise of traffic calming, so there's quite a bit wrong with the remaining route.

More MBC

Here at Briscycle HQ, we would have preferred to see the existing (admittedly narrow) pedestrian bridge recycled if it saved funds for proper bicycle infrastructure further to the south. That said, we're definitely glad to see the connection to the Moreton Bay Cyleway and can't wait to take it for a spin.

Edit: Some more poking around reveals the the Department of Transport and Main Roads want to ultimately build a cycleway from Shulz Canal to Lamington Avenue adjacent to Southern Cross Drive which would negate most of these comments. That said, these plans are still several years away and considering the recent funding cuts may not eventuate at all.

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